Narratives on restored water – NARROW

The purpose of the project is fundamentally to answer a series of questions that, in turn, can contribute to increased biodiversity conservation at various levels.
Five different case areas of freshwater environments (wetlands, coastal meadows, and similar habitats) in Sweden and Finland will be studied. The questions we are asking include:

• How are local communities involved in decision-making in various restoration projects? Who makes the decisions, how, and why? 
• Can added value for biodiversity and ecosystem services be demonstrated through locally led restoration and conservation efforts?
• What are the key narratives surrounding the "new landscapes" being created at the local level? What role do culturally significant species play? Are people in local communities expressing new relationships and values as a result of restoration and rewilding?
• How relevant and applicable are the international assessment guidelines developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to different local contexts, and are there lessons to be learned from these? Are there experiences from the five case studies that should influence the IUCN’s guidelines and their application?
• How can local perspectives influence regional and global frameworks and political decisions? Can global initiatives help support and recognize local communities and their knowledge?

The project explores how local communities lead and engage in conservation efforts and work to mitigate the effects of climate change.
This is done by examining restoration, rewilding, biodiversity, and gas exchange (CO₂ and methane) in freshwater environments, wetlands, coastal meadows, and forests in Sweden and Finland.

Area of Study

The study focuses on how local communities engage in the restoration and conservation of wetlands and other freshwater environments in Sweden and Finland.

Different sectors of society are included, such as local interest groups, Sámi communities, researchers, and administrators. We will assess the success of locally led restoration projects by combining social methods (narratives, values, and oral histories) with ecological methods (measurements of biodiversity and gas exchange/carbon sequestration).

At the core, the following research questions guide the project:

• What are the ecological, cultural, social, and spiritual values that inspire communities to restore and protect freshwater systems?
• Why are these values important, and how do they emerge? How are they reflected in national and international policies?

We base our work on two hypotheses.

First, we propose that governance characterized by diversity and the inclusion of local actors is fundamental to long-term successful conservation efforts. This includes local participation and locally led governance.

Second, local restoration initiatives can contribute to achieving international environmental goals over the long term. In this way, we aim to improve the understanding of how local participation and governance can help meet biodiversity targets.